Think Outside the Guac

I think it’s safe to say Spring has finally sprung! This warm weather makes me feel all festive, and good timing, because Cinco de Mayo is coming up! I never really celebrated the holiday until I became friends with my grad-school buddy Vanessa who is from Mexico. She showed us how to celebrate right! Now with the holiday coming up in just a few weeks, I’ve teamed up with Avocados of Mexico to give away a great prize – a crate of avocados! Think of all the amazing recipes you can make with so many avocados. My friend Vanessa helped me out with this post to give some background info on Cinco de Mayo:

Cinco de Mayo it’s a Mexican holiday that commemorates the Battle of Puebla in 1862 against the French in which Mexico’s army won. The Mexican government, led by Benito Juarez, issued a moratorium in 1861 suspending payments on Mexican foreign debt – a debt owed mostly to France. Napoleon III, ruler of France at that time sent troops to Mexico in order to claim his debt. France encountered the Mexican resistance near Puebla, where the Mexicans defeated them on May 5^th 1862. Since then, this day has been celebrated in Mexico and more recently by the Latino community living in the United States.

During this holiday, there is a parade (the army marches) around El Zocalo, the main plaza in downtown Mexico City. Also typical dishes from Puebla are sold, such as Mole Poblano (chocolate-chili based sauce), Pipian Verde (pumpkin seed and chili pepper based sauce served with pork or chicken), Semitas (sandwich made with a special bread called Semita), Guacamole from avocados (of course!), and Mexican rice with tomato sauce.

That’s Vanessa in the middle! And Nicole on the left who is getting married this weekend!

As you can see from Vanessa’s food description, no Cinco celebration is complete without avocados. Besides traditional guacamole dip, there are so many ways to get creative with avocados. Your contest challenge is to create an original recipe with a Mexican flare for Cinco de Mayo using avocados in recipes other than guacamole. You’ll think “outside the guac” on this one!

You can check out The Amazing Avocado for inspiring recipes and great health information about avocados. You also may start to see Amazing Avocado displays in your grocery store featuring amazing avocado recipes like Chilled Avocado-Tomatillo Soup, Avocado and Black Bean Salad, Mexican “Sushi” and Avocado-Coconut Pie.

When I was younger, my mom showed us a neat way to snack on avocados. We cut them in half, scooped out the pit, and poured lemon juice in the crater. Then we just scooped out spoonfuls of avocado with lemon juice for a fresh and simple snack. This year, though, I’m looking for some more creative recipes. So I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

All you have to do is

1. Come up with a unique (non-guacamole) recipe using avocados.
2. Submit the recipe (up to 3 per person) along with a photo of it and your name and email address to eatwellwithjanel@gmail.com by Tuesday, May 4^th.
3. Check back to see who wins on May 5^th – Cinco de Mayo! I’ll post the winning recipe and photo.

For more detailed rule information and legal mumbo jumbo, click here.

Good luck thinking outside the guac!

Disclaimer: I am not being paid to promote Avocados of Mexico or this contest.